PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS REPORT for the YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31 1961 Printed by A. Sutton, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in right of the Province of British Columbia. 1962 J To Major-General the Honourable George Randolph Pearkes, V.C., P.C., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of British Columbia. May it please Your Honour: I have the honour to transmit herewith the Annual Report of the Department of Municipal Affairs for the year ended December 31, 1961. Victoria, B.C. W. D. BLACK, Minister of Municipal Affairs. Report of the Department of Municipal Affairs Victoria, B.C., January 26, 1962. The Honourable W. D. Black, Minister of Municipal Affairs. Sir,—I have the honour to submit herewith the Annual Report of the Department of Municipal Affairs for the year ended December 31, 1961. The 1961 municipal assessment rolls of cities, districts, towns, and villages within the Province contain assessed values of land and improvements totalling $3,717,472,643. This is an increase of $148,232,508 over 1960 values. While the rate of increase in assessed values of land and improvements has decreased during the past year, the municipal tax base continues to grow. The increase in assessed values for 1961 may be attributed to new incorporations and to new construction rather than to the effect of the assessment equalization programme. The increase in the municipal tax base over the last few years is indicated by the following table:— Growth in Combined Assessed Values and Taxes in Municipalities of British Columbia Assessed Values Assessed Values Actually Taxed Tax Revenues Year All Properties Taxable Properties School Municipal 1954 . 1955. ... _ 1956 $1,625,968,580 2,108,458,383 2,432,313,912 2,765,873,099 3,047,766,854 3,327,118,937 3,569,240,135 3,717,472,643 $1,321,811,326 1,742,081,045 2,035,542,999 2,315,295,651 2,569,271,281 2,805,547,214 3,015,844,390 3,142,969,534 $842,093,330 1,350,856,875 1,586,627,603 1,854,677,597 2,053,934,444 2,248,145,499 2,417,467,198 2,508,401,082 $842,093,330 1,044,040,275 1,238,390,209 1,415,935,241 1,562,991,738 1,721,746,974 1,843,967,404 1,920,101,216 $53,784,569 59,112,580 66,418,657 1957 1958 . 1959 1960. 196L 78,811,653 92,429,190 104,819,992 116,857,478 129,000,0001 1 Estimated. The total assessed values actually taxed for school purposes in 1961 within the Province amounted to $3,206,795,417. Of this total, $2,508,401,082, or approximately 80 per cent, represented values in municipalities. During the year, municipal borrowings were approved by the Inspector of Municipalities in the total amount of $15,030,152. The majority of this borrowing was supported by debenture issues, with the remainder in a very small amount being financed through bank loans. This is a decrease in borrowing of $997,636 compared with borrowing approved during the previous year. Again, as in 1960, the continuing high interest rates on borrowed money were an important factor. However, it is significant to note that there appears to be a firming trend in the bond market in so far as municipal borrowings are concerned. Bond sales of the last few months indicated a levelling of the coupon rate on a generally lower plane than that prevailing at the end of last year. It is noted that the bond market for municipals improved during the year, but whether this trend will continue is difficult to say. The guarantee by the Province of principal and interest payments of certain municipal debenture issues tended to keep coupon rates to a minimum. The amount and purpose for which new borrowings were approved are set out below. Debentures issued by the City of Vancouver do not require the approval of the Inspector of Municipalities and therefore are not included in this table. AA 6 british columbia Distribution of Authorized Debenture Debt by Purposes for the Year 1961 Purpose Cities Districts Towns Villages Local Districts Total $2,108,000 1,769,505 875,071 1,398,219 1,340,000 36,000 110,000 60,000 $1,283,000 1,304,521 1,896,548 1,088,288 465,000 418,251 149,000 $291,000 57,000 $3,682,000 $321,000 3,452,026 2,771,619 33,000 2,519,507 1,805,000 27,000 454,000 Protection to persons and property.- 286,000 60,000 Totals $7,696,795 $6,604,608 $348,000 $381,000 $15,030,152 Total debenture debt as at December 31, 1960, of all of the municipalities of the Province, including the City of Vancouver, is summarized below. Total Authorized Debenture Debt as at December 31, 1960 Issued, Sold, and Outstanding Unissued and Unsold Total $45,696,525 $6,204,758 5,840,587 20,700 227,000 $51,901,283 48,316,807 2,359,231 6,974,172 58,000 54,157,394 Towns - - 2,379,931 7,201,172 58,000 Totals ..: $103,404,735 151,409,193 $12,293,045 580,000 $115,697,780 151,989,193 $254,813,928 $12,873,045 $267,686,973 The Department of Finance of the Federal Government has advised the Department that as at January 1, 1962, all semi-annual repayments have been made on loans authorized under the provisions of the Municipalities Improvements Assistance Act, 1938. The total amount outstanding on these loans is $189,422.31, comprising one city, $13,846.94; two district municipalities, $45,918.94; one village, $5,192.59; one improvement district incorporated under the Water Act, $13,570.01; and the Greater Vancouver Water District, $110,893.83. The principal amounts of all loans authorized under the Municipalities Improvements Assistance Act, 1938, to British Columbia corporations totalled $2,114,759.70. During the past year the municipalities have continued to exercise their privilege of applying to the Province for a guarantee of the payments of principal and interest on debenture issues under the provisions of the Municipalities Assistance Act. Guaranteed debenture issues in the amount of $8,620,821 were approved last year, as follows:— Cities (excluding Vancouver) $2,002,000 Districts 1,434,821 Towns 57,000 Villages 82,000 Local districts $3,575,821 City of Vancouver 5,045,000 Total $8,620,821 REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 7 Debenture issues guaranteed by the Province now represent a large percentage of the over-all borrowing of the municipalities. A summary of the amount of the debentures guaranteed by the Province under the Municipalities Assistance Act and under the Village Municipalities Assistance Act outstanding as at December 31, 1961, is indicated below:— Outstanding Debentures Guaranteed by the Province Pursuant to Village Municipalities Assistance Act and Municipalities Assistance Act as at December 31, 1961. i ' ; Village Municipalities Assistance Act Municipalities Assistance Act Total Cities (excluding Vancouver) _ \, $554,000 347,000 2,382,500 3,103,250 $12,913,000 8,170,331 594,000 2,264,000 58,000 $13,467,000 8,517,331 2,976,500 5,367,250 58,000 $6,386,750 $23,999,331 14,373,000 2,182,000 189,000 23,380,000 895,000 $30,386,081 14,373,000 2,182,000 189,000 23,380,000 895,000 Totals | $6,386,750 $65,018,331 $71,405,081 The liability represented by guaranteed debenture issues is supported by the revenues of self-liquidating utilities or enterprises amounting to an appraised value well in excess of $100,000,000. These debts are also a direct obligation of the municipality. A number of municipalities during the year took advantage of the sewer financing assistance programme of the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation made available under the provisions of the National Housing Act. This programme offered lower interest rates than those currently prevailing and debt cancellation benefits to those municipalities engaged in extensive sewage-disposal schemes. The programme is proving to be of financial importance to the municipalities. Short-term capital borrowings for capital projects amounted to $402,316 during 1961. These borrowings are subject to the approval of the Inspector of Municipalities and are usually financed through the banking institutions. This method of borrowing is of considerable importance to the municipalities, and many have made full use of their borrowing powers in this respect. Short-term capital loans do not require the assent of the owner-electors. We have continued to maintain a very close watch over the debenture debt load of municipalities as well as other aspects of municipal finance. Chart 1 reflects the trend of total debenture debt for all municipalities for British Columbia during the last decade against the trend of other aspects of municipal financial ability. It may be noted that all factors have increased faster than the rate of population growth. However, debenture debt has increased at a slower rate than assessments, revenues, or total personal income. As indicated, in 1950 total debenture debt was approximately two and one-half times total revenue, and in 1960 the ratio had declined to one and one-half times. As a comparison, the total debenture debt of all municipalities in Canada in 1956 was two times total revenues. This ratio had increased to two and one-half times by the end of 1960. The rate of increase of debenture debt in British Columbia AA 8 BRITISH COLUMBIA municipalities declined slightly in 1960 over 1959, and, in general, we may conclude that the debenture debt load of the municipalities has not increased unduly in relation to their ability to carry it. From information available in the Department, we have prepared the following summary indicating the investment in capital assets by class of municipality and by source of funds for the years shown. It is noted that the percentage of new money— that is, obtained by borrowing—was approximately 66 per cent of the total expended in 1956, 1957, and 1958, rose to 70 per cent in 1959 and to 73 per cent in 1960. Investment in Capital Assets by Source of Funds Revenue Reserves Borrowing Total 1956 Cities (except Vancouver) Vancouver Districts Villages Totals $2,416,035 285,592 2,181,273 682,579 $1,452,073 478,717 712,49,1 15,000 $2,262,189 5,671,430 6,828,601 1,117,000 $6,130,297 6,435,739 9,722,365 1,814,579 $5,565,479 | $2,658,281 | $15,879,220 <| $24,102,980 1957 Cities (except Vancouver).. Vancouver Districts Towns — Villages $2,732,291 391,238 3,019,426 1,085,828 $1,688,799 713,895 271,554 5,000 9,736 $3,783,773 5,987,795 7,195,849 2,984,000 $8,204,863 7,092,928 10,486,829 5,000 4,079,564 Totals.. $7,228,783 | $2,688,984 | $19,951,417 | $29,869,184 1958 Cities (except Vancouver)— Vancouver Districts— Towns Villages $3,072,304 339,792 3,461,257 173,047 786,205 $1,565,634 402,865 363,562 10,000 33,100 $4,063,014 8,227,656 6,579,413 413,000 762,000 Totals. $7,832,605 | $2,375,161 [ $20,045,083 1959 Cities (except Vancouver) Vancouver . Districts Towns Villages $3,069,290 265,126 3,599,951 97,258 906,001 $1,020,512 2,259,622 1,351,124 12,000 50,338 $6,798,394 16,106,007 4,975,525 2,142,000 $8,700,952 8,970,313 10,404,232 596,047 1,581,305 $30,252,849 $10,888,1% 18,630,755 9,926,600 109,258 3,098,339 Totals. $7,937,626 | $4,693,596 [ $30,021,926 | $42,653,148 1960 Cities (except Vancouver) Vancouver — Districts— Towns Villages $3,283,052 172,971 3,361,857 101,113 1,099,915 Totals.. $8,018,908 $852,714 919,364 800,750 4,000 57,130 $2,633,958 $9,064,263 12,795,993 6,182,525 781,000 $28,823,781 $13,200,029 13,888,328 10,345,132 105,113 1,938,045 $39,476,647 Again, as in 1960, I am pleased to report that there was no necessity to hold public inquiries into applications for certificates of approval to municipal money by-laws. Fourteen municipalities were granted certificates of self-liquidation in respect of six utility systems and nine sewer systems during the year under review. Some of these certificates were provisional certificates which will be replaced by subsisting certificates after proof of actual operation as self-liquidating utilities or enterprises. To date there have been seventy-nine certificates of self-liquidation issued to fifty- three municipalities, some having been granted more than one certificate. The majority of municipalities have now established their utilities and other enterprises on a self-liquidating basis, which relieves the general mill rate of the provision of debt charges, operating, maintenance, and replacement costs. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 9 Reserve funds for various purposes at the end of 1960 amounted to $13,853,039, which is an increase over 1959 of $2,452,334, or approximately 18 per cent. These funds are available for capital expenditures subject to Governmental approval. As of April 1, 1961, the jurisdiction of the Pollution-control Board was extended to include the complete drainage basin of the Columbia River located within Canada. This increased substantially the area for which the Board is responsible. During the year the Board held eight meetings and granted eight permits. In addition, the Board undertook a familiarization tour of the East and West Kootenay s. The Minister of Municipal Affairs' annual shield awards to the municipalities having the highest percentage turnout of electors were again awarded for 1961. This is the second year of this award. The municipalities receiving the awards for the December, 1960, elections in the three categories were: Cities and towns— Revelstoke, with a turnout of 72.60 per cent; districts—Kitimat, with a turnout of 78.23 per cent; and villages—Stewart, with a turnout of 82.29 per cent. Stewart also won the village award in 1959. While no mention is made of the municipalities which placed high on the percentage turnout of electors, it should be noted that, generally speaking, the percentage of voters exercising their franchise is a considerable figure in most of the municipalities. It is hoped that these annual awards will continue to encourage interest in civic affairs. The prompt returns of the percentage vote to the Department indicates a keen competitive interest in the awards. The extension course in municipal administration being offered by the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration of the University of British Columbia under the sponsorship of the Department continues to maintain its popularity. The enrolment for the 1961/62 course-year is made up of forty-nine first-year students, thirty-two second-year students, twenty-seven third-year students, and twenty-five fourth-year students. Since the commencement of the municipal administration course in 1952, 108 students have completed the four-year course in either municipal administration or municipal finance, or both. The annual course institute was again held at the University at the end of the year. The results of the 1961 examinations were as follows: Twenty-seven students completed first year, twenty-five students completed second year, twenty-four students completed third year, and twenty-two students completed fourth year. During the year the Board of Examiners granted eighteen certificates of proficiency, bringing to 121 the number now issued to municipal officials. Six senior certificates in administration and eight senior certicates in finance were issued during 1961. Four junior certificates were also issued. Accompanied by three senior officials of the Department, I attended the fifty-fifth Annual Conference on Municipal Finance, held in Seattle, Wash., during the period of May 21 to 25, 1961. This conference is sponsored by the Municipal Finance Officers' Association of the United States and Canada, an organization incorporated for the purpose of improving methods of public finance at the local level. The quality of material presented was of the highest calibre, and the knowledge and experience gained in this closer contact with the municipal finance officers from all parts of the continent will, I am sure, prove of great value. The Municipal Officers' Association held its twenty-second annual conference in Victoria on June 5, 6, and 7, 1961. As in previous years, the conference was a success and much was gained during the three-day session. Several important addresses were given and panel discussions on a wide range of subjects were heard. AA 10 BRITISH COLUMBIA The Fifty-eighth Annual Convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities was held at Vernon on September 27th to 29th, inclusive. Attendance at this conference gives Departmental officials an opportunity to better understand the needs and thinking of the elected representatives of local government. During the year two new municipalities were incorporated. These were the Villages of Masset and Aennofield. Masset is the first community in the Queen Charlotte Islands to be incorporated as a municipality. The incorporation of the small outlying communities is to be commended and encouraged. The Village of Aennofield is a residential community adjacent to the Town of Fort St. John. A number of communities throughout the Province showed interest in incorporation, and the staff made visits to some of these to address public meetings and to advise incorporation committees on the procedures leading to incorporation. The Village of North Kamloops changed status to a town during 1961. No other changes of status took place during the year, although from a study of the compilation of the 1961 Census figures it appears that there could be further changes in status in the near future. The total population of the municipalities of the Province including the City of Vancouver was 1,284,544 according to the Dominion Census. This is an increase of 172,732, or 15.5 per cent, over the 1956 population. A part of this increase may be attributed to new incorporations and extensions of the area of the existing municipalities. The breakdown of the population between the various classes of municipalities as a comparison with the 1956 population is as follows:— Population Percentage Increase, 1956 and 1961 1956 Census 1961 Census Population Increase Percentage Increase Cities 635,712 406,525 13,700 55,875 680,171 519,990 17,672 66,711 44,459 113,465 3,972 10,836 7.0 27.9 Towns — Villages — 29.0 19.4 Totals . 1,111,812 1,284,544 172,732 15.5 During the year, extensions of boundaries by way of supplementary Letters Patent were granted to seven municipalities. The following table shows the increase in area as well as the increase in population:— Adjustments in Area and Increases in Population, 1961 Municipality Area (in Acres) Before Extension of Area Contained in Area Added After Extension of Area Population Before Extension of Area Contained in Area Added After Extension of Area Cities Nelson Port Alberni Prince George.. Kinnaird Ladysmith.. Lillooet Lumby Villages 1,106.00 2,342.00 5,014.30 1,179.952 2,201.00 280.00 881.00 786.00 480.00 62.75 12.47 824.00 26.00 1.20 1,892.00 2,822.00 5,077.05 1,192.422 2,044.00 306.00 882.20 7,226 10,373 10,563 1,305 2,082 1,083 786 2,774 300 1,236 8 19 10,000 10,673 10,563 1,305 3,318 1,091 805 REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 11 Extensions of boundaries have been steadily increasing in number during the past few years. This indicates a growing desire and interest on the part of the residents of fringe areas to participate in and to benefit from the amenities offered through local government. In addition to the above, the boundary of the District of Coldstream was adjusted to conform with surveyed lot lines. A large number of local areas were established during the year under the provisions of the Local Services Act. All of these areas were for the provision of home nursing care. The home nursing-care service is provided by the local health units, and the cost of the service levied by mill rate against properties within the local area. A number of community planning areas were also established during the course of the year. Details of these and of other planning activities of the Department follow in the report of the Director of the Regional Planning Division. During the year the Department entertained foreign visitors under United Nations and Commonwealth development programmes. The countries represented included Ceylon, Sierre Leone, the National Republic of China, Japan, and Israel. The Department has been actively engaged in co-operation with other departments of Government in seeking a solution to the question of garbage-disposal in unorganized territory. It is anticipated that a number of local areas under the provisions of the Local Services Act will be set up shortly, which will help to alleviate this problem. The offices of the Department were completely renovated during the year, resulting in more workable office space for the staff and the release of space for the use of other departments of Government. Arising out of numerous complaints, a public inquiry was held by the Inspector of Municipalities into the question of the form or forms of local government required to provide the diverse groups of citizens of the Municipality of Surrey with adequate local services. As a result of the inquiry, it was recommended that no basic change be made to the present municipal organization, but in order to obtain a better distribution of Council representation, it was recommended that the size of the Council be increased from seven to eleven members. Following a petition of Council, this was acted on in time for the municipal elections in December. It was also recommended that Council improve its contact with the citizens and that a clear policy be established with respect to the provision of urban amenities. A further recommendation was that the new Municipal Hall be located well outside existing commercial areas and as close to the geographical centre of the municipality as possible. This recommendation was imposed by order of the Inspector of Municipalities and approved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. The major changes in legislation enacted by the 1961 session of the Legislature which particularly affected municipalities are outlined briefly as follows:— The Municipal Act was amended to include new provisions for the extension of the area of a municipality. Under these new provisions a vote may be caused to be taken or the Minister of Municipal Affairs may appoint a Commission to inquire into and report to him on the propriety of the extension of the area of the municipality. This latter provision was used during the year in connection with the extension of the area of the Village of Ladysmith. The Ladysmith Boundary Commission was made up of members of the staff of the Department. An important amendment was made respecting civil defence to provide for the continuity of Council in the event of a disaster. This new provision also provides for the re-establishment of properly elected Councils after the emergency is over. Amendments were made to provide for the reversion to the principle of assessed AA 12 BRITISH COLUMBIA values to be based on current values rather than on base-year values. Land classified as farm land was given a further exemption of $1,000 in the taxable assessed values for school purposes. Miscellaneous amendments to the Municipal Act included the classification of residents of owner-occupied apartments as owner-electors. A new provision was made whereby the Returning Officer is authorized to destroy all documents and ballots relative to an election. A vacancy on Council may now be held open from July 1st until the next annual election. Previously this date had been November 1st. Changes were made in the community planning provision of the Municipal Act to provide more specific information in respect of public hearings and to allow some zoning appeals to be dealt with by a Judge of the County Court. An innovation was introduced whereby off-street parking facilities in the larger city municipalities may be provided for and at the expense of a specified area. Two cities took advantage of this legislation during the year. The Local Services Act was amended to revise the powers of the Minister of Municipal Affairs in respect of the regulation of land use and to provide machinery for the extension and merging of existing local areas. Other amendments affecting municipalities were made to the Municipal Superannuation Act, the Land Registry Act, the Forest Act, the Public Schools Act, the Health Act, the Assessment Equalization Act, the Provincial Infirmaries Act, and the Real Estate Act. The Public Bodies Financial Information Act, passed at the last session of the Legislature, has the effect of requiring municipalities to expand the financial information now given to include a report of wages and expenses as well as payments to suppliers. This additional information will be submitted to this Department. Certain specific municipalities were affected by amendments to the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act. These municipalities were Cache Creek, Cumberland, Surrey, Kamloops, and Sahno. It is with regret that I have to report the death of two valued staff members— Edward C. Young, of the Finance and Statistics Division, and R. Millar, of the Regional Planning Division. These men had each been in the Provincial Government Service for eleven to twelve years and were highly regarded by those with whom they came into contact, either socially or in the course of their duties. The continued expansion of the Municipal Winter Works Incentive Programme has again increased the volume of work dealt with by the Department. In addition to this, the changes in the style of financial reporting along with the many changes to the municipal finance reporting forms, together with complications in the borrowing procedures of municipalities through recent amendments to the National Housing Act, added materially to the work of the Department. We have endeavoured to ensure that the extra demands on the staff have not delayed the business of the municipalities. I would again like to express my thanks to all municipal officials of this Province, both elected and appointed, for their continued courtesies and assistance, and to the executive and staff of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, and to the executive of the Municipal Officers' Association, and to all other Government officials, and to you, Sir, for your continued support and encouragement. J. E. BROWN, F.C.I.S., Deputy Minister. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 13 Trends in Financial Aspects of Municipal Government Compared to Population and Income LEGEND — POPULATION "In millions -OT0TAL REVENUE N -ODEBENTURE DEBT > In millions of dollars BUILDING PERMITS / O O OMAXIMUM VALUES TAXABLE \ In hundreds of PERSONAL INCOME J millions of dollars AA 14 BRITISH COLUMBIA REPORT OF THE SUPERVISOR OF MUNICIPALITIES Victoria, B.C., January 24, 1962. /. E. Brown, Esq., Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs. Sir,-—Commensurate with the development of the Province as a whole, the municipal field of administration has continued to expand in British Columbia, adding extra duties to the members of the staff in maintaining supervision of administration in municipalities as required by the various Statutes. The expansion of municipal government in the Province continues to demand more services from the Department from year to year, and I am happy to report that the staff have continued to co-operate with extra time and effort required to provide assistance to municipalities and municipal groups. The following is a compilation of some of the major activities of the Department during 1961:— j (1) One hundred and ninety-seven visits were made to municipalities. The number of municipalities actually visited was 121, some receiving more than one visit. (2) Two hundred and seventy-one Minutes of Council were prepared and subsequently approved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. (3) Eighty-seven certificates of approval for municipal loan by-laws were issued. A few of these were cancelled during the year due to the subsequent amendment of the by-law concerned. A new certificate to the by-law as amended was issued if required. (4) Sixty-four debenture issues were examined and subsequently certified by the Inspector of Municipalities, consisting of 8,426 debentures of a total par value of $7,790,983.93. (5) Six hundred and forty-six by-laws were examined and registered. Of this amount, eighty-six were town by-laws, 555 were village by-laws, and five were local district by-laws. Many of the by-laws required advice and correspondence, resulting in resubmission in revised form. (6) Several hundred draft by-laws and similar documents were submitted for review and comment, involving a considerable amount of correspondence. (7) Publication of the Annual Report of Municipal Statistics. (8) Editing the financial and statistical returns of the municipalities to ensure conformity with statutory and other requirements. This phase of administration involves considerable correspondence with municipal officials and auditors. (9) By correspondence and by personal visits to the various municipalities, I encouraging the adoption of good financial, accounting, and administrative procedures. In connection with the annual edition of Municipal Statistics, a good deal of additional thought and effort were required this year in effecting many changes in procedure brought about by the introduction of the new Municipal Finance Reporting Manual, published recently by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. In the case of most municipalities, these changes were made without any appreciable delay in the submission of the financial returns. The principle of reporting the various municipal funds on a revenue and expenditure basis has been maintained in the requirements of the new manual, the major change being to broaden the reporting base to make additional information available to those concerned with the study of the financial aspect of municipal administration. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 15 The Government of Canada has, for the fourth consecutive winter, provided an incentive for municipalities to provide winter work for the relief of unemployment. The incentive is the offer to pay one-half of the direct labour cost of approved projects. The programme period is initially the same as the 1960/61 season— that is, October 15th to April 30th. There were no important changes in the regulations or in the type of project which may be undertaken on a shareable basis under the current programme. In addition to the incentive offered by the Federal Government, the Government of this Province has agreed to pay to municipalities 25 per cent of the approved direct labour costs relating to accepted projects. The Province, in addition, has agreed to pay a further 25 per cent of the wages of any person employed on an accepted project who has been continuously in receipt of welfare assistance from, on, or before June 15, 1961, to the date of being engaged on the project. Some idea of the growth of the programme may be gained from the following:— Cost of Projects Man-days Work Payroll 1959/60 as at January 15, 1960 S7.000.000 1 183.000 $3,000,000 1960/61 as at January 15, 1961 1961/62 as at January 15, 1962 _ 20,000,000 26,500,000 392,000 426,000 7,000,000 8,333,333 These are estimated figures of the municipalities for the programme period. As of January 15, 1962, approvals had been given to 537 projects, whereas the total for last year's programme at the same date was 556 projects. The total number of projects approved under last year's programme was 796 projects. It is anticipated that additional applications will be received this year following the consideration of municipal budgets by the Councils in 1962. The programme, which includes the processing of application and claim forms along with relative correspondence, has added considerably to the administrative load in the Department, and I wish to record my appreciation to the members of the staff who have cheerfully and efficiently adjusted to the extra work load. The following tabulation gives a summary of the British Columbia municipalities' participation in the Winter Works Programme as at January 15, 1962, according to the records in this office:— Number of men Man-days work 6,000 426,000 Total cost of projects $26,809,000 Federal share, payroll cost $4,180,000 Provincial share, payroll cost $2,144,000 Municipal share, payroll cost $2,050,000 Total payroll under offer $8,374,000 Nature and Total Cost of Projects Waterworks Sewers Drainage _ Roads Sidewalks Buildings „ Parks Other $5,622,000 5,847,000 884,000 2,396,000 985,000 2,905,000 1,075.000 2,639,000 AA 16 BRITISH COLUMBIA Municipalities Participating Number of Accepted Projects Cities 29 Cities 225 Districts 27 Districts 177 Towns 2 Towns 15 Villages 34 Villages 83 Other ___. 16 Other 37 Total 108 Total 537 Table 1 shows the final summary of the Municipal Winter Works Incentive Programme for the year 1960/61 as issued by the Department of Labour, Ottawa, and Table 2 indicates the same information for the current programme as at January 19, 1962. The year 1961 witnessed a further increase in authorized debenture debt of municipalities, although the total amount of debentures authorized to be issued decreased from $16,000,000 in 1960 to $15,000,000 in 1961. It is felt that this decrease in 1961 over 1960 borrowings may be partly attributed to the fact that the majority of municipalities in the Province have now completed construction or major reconstruction of their utility systems. Continued borrowings for sewer and other public works may be expected for some time to come. In view of the importance placed on this aspect of municipal administration, we have continued to keep a very close watch on the tax-collection picture in the municipalities. A review of the figures which are published in Table 3 indicates that collections over the previous year have shown some slight improvement. We will, of course, continue to maintain our watch for any sign which might indicate the inability of a municipality to effect a high rate of collection of the tax levy and will lend what assistance we can in aiding them to establish good collection procedures. Table 4 shows in 1960 an improvement in all classes except districts and towns from the 0-9.99 per cent. We have had to report previously that tax-collection procedures in villages were not as good as in other classes of municipalities. However, I am pleased to now report that considerable improvement is noted in the procedures being adopted in villages, and we are hopeful that the trend will continue. Table 5 shows the percentages of municipal revenues according to major sources for the years shown. It is interesting to note the marked difference as between the various classes of municipalities. J. D. Baird, F.C.I.S., Supervisor of Municipalities. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 17 Ox CN W z y a w i w w H « O Eh w ^D o ^n o Crx x—* o W 1 a s 3 o <c « c o 0 s « 0 Ph •e to W eg u > 71 H ce Z UJ o U 0 z 1—1 cn « « O £ as w H Z £ 3 CL, u z p s ca rt*a © m tn *& c- ■* « ^ c is vo m cA as cA oo ov ov r* en yy en y c- ^ Sn OV H 00 CO 1 © Ov © Ov Tf (N — t* ; »N rN VO © 2 c o ■"ST (N <N tn CA CA CA '-H r~ oo ^ 3 r- t*- VO y* Os OO *N cn mm m r- tn *n VC 00 VQ VO fN Ov fN •o r- c ti ?h mh m in o Z cA y y rt tn ,j m -t y en X- Ov t- oo tn vo w y y rt m rf <n (N >n vi B. vo" oo m en vo rn ca in S 3 5 CO © © r^ oo ov oo yy ^O © Ov <tt. Vl , y Z cA y ca y rf OO t~- rt en SO O CA rt OV t- Tt © © m t- ca r- m oo y 03 <N (N 0 rt X- tn VO >J-1 CO z my (N y *N in y rt en x— vo .-i ■d- r- t- vo Ov Ov Ov VO t- fN (N (N «* '— © fN oo vO © OO Tt 00 3 fN <N r^ oo © © Nw ov m !* Ov Tf a y rf OS CA CA r- m ca © vo Ov rt m *n m co m r^ ->t ov r- Ov m en ov t- r- r4 in en y rt so m 1 y y <N (N en t- 00 (N © t- ca >n y <N © *"■ y rt t** Ov © rf oo rt m o rt m y i y © © o tr- oo mm ■** Tt y^ <N **1 ^ ** s (■* fN 1-^ fN *h m <n •^ en y vo vO Ov r- © tn vo j£ Os x~- cA cA yy tn © Os Os yy Os rf rf © CO o tn r— (N oo CO *-< tN »N *-< r^ fN y Os cA C y rN -$ en y y G rt oo v£> © VO Ov cd oo tr* ca 3 0O CO VO fN t- *"* "1 T* *1 Tfoo ©" r^" <n tn © fN fN l-H © tn oo >n so kcA © vo 00 Vl f- u W4rtinO fN ^, r* r— in y vo vo p- m m N O ^ n y m tn co *«f Ov" x~? Tj- y n X- H Ovf »Oinn .-i oo T-H ^H © vo oo C" i—i oo tn © "*■'»© tn y^ y oo t— Ox as rn rn » I X- X- CA (N i— «-h v> o" tt Ov Ov *-( t— fn tN © u <N (N in" rt u >, in 0) a o rt a U xX o o o u o O o O rt U 'o ._ cn" CJ 'o o 1- o CD y a X (A O CU -q q) •o" CD •a "> o a o O jo J3 m2 o u I -S.o . 3 S S. 2 8| s o e yyZ y r1 X •a CJ g a rt u _r o +- o T3 . u S O ^H > few o ^^h t> m C rt g ^ 73 to .2 .2.2 "a -a -a * ri y H ■*-» ^3 "° P Ph •rt Ov « i/ tr C cScJ 3 2 S . <3oSo T3 *. "O Ov jj-y-w u u ro"-1 o'"' CJ (1> © (D y-1 x*$5x,eiin o ot> rt ca rt i-h W m rt n CL D, a y -y -y .y -y s j - a „ 1 1 C < w ca w w w to w co « ■sfo 0) J- AA 18 BRITISH COLUMBIA cm OV T-H ft x\ < a z < y~> a w 0 z W w w b p« O Ph W a! CN !- \D st "—. o t-i . -a 81* < a o Pi Oh W j> b Z ■si U z Pi o a. PJ b z < P- Z a CN w y Ph < a« Tf rH CM rH 00 rH CO CS rH OX rH mm On wi p* m <S rH m on TJ" VX o oo cs m rH ON 00 CftN rH rH Mm O^NtrJtO Os -ri- -rr m OO r-1> oo oo r- Ov co m Ov oo r- oo in w r-i Ov •* tr- Os rt en tr> Ov CO rt fN fN m t-i ^h tN y tr* CA en m c~ tr- rn :o m Ov rt fN Ov rH OVH OCO Ov CO CO fN cA y y o y vo vo o r— soso y rt voV" © S en t- m -d- cn y t- m in inc- co t-h r~- Ov cn moohom t> vo Os^m ■ in in y as IS ■ y O II s£ W CD ^ V U w CJ H-J u «s si? § °a3 8 8* in rt -h rt rt ■ (fl trt to o e e c i= .2.2 .2 *a W W Z3 CJ o o o rt 8^ CJ ^ x7t es © «3 S3 3*1 5©* <^ a a — s< 2 .5 - l> •rt Ov -rt <^ in e rN j4 <-* U Vp "S * c*oo e ^ &m ^■a3 s3 ° HH . -H 3\ «; ■*! « (j -. •a -tj 0v -SSS". O rt ov rt (n Clfl y Oy 3 a a a a a a w .■: ^ <i<(<<«WW W M W M REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 Table 3.—Percentage Tax Collections aa 19 Percentage of Current Levy Collected Total Collections as a Percentage of Current Levy Outstanding Taxes as a Percentage of Current Levy Cities (Except Vancouver) 1939 1946 81.10 94.13 95.02 95.24 94.67 94.97 91.00 95.74 95.41 95.20 95.08 95.43 77.60 92.32 95.67 95.83 95.43 95.40 89.55 88.69 90.41 76.50 92.45 91.58 91.70 91.69 93.83 99.10 100.46 100.38 100.02 99.28 99.92 103.10 100.57 100.74 99.36 99.35 99.47 95.80 99.28 100.93 100.00 99.46 99.68 97.06 98.00 101.53 98.30 99.90 99.94 99.26 99.60 101.96 40.16 7.85 1957 6.87 1958 - . .. f<>59 6.53 6.92 1960. . ............ . 6.84 Vancouver 1939 30.06 1946 1957 _-... 5.90 6.82 1958 1959 1960 6.62 6.88 6.98 Districts 1939 1946 1957 . .. 34.81 9.45 5.74 1958 . .. - 5.36 1959 -~- 1960 „, Towns 1958 5.73 6.10 13.62 1959 ; ....:.. 15.18 1960 13.28 Villages 1939 38.71 1946 :.... 11.90 1957. 1958 . 1959. 11.23 11.19' 10 99 1960 8.78 AA 20 BRITISH COLUMBIA (/> H U HH PS H in Q UI W HH H U ft. c & -! b Z Z 1 m fti r/i « 05 1/3 n BJ u < ft) w 5h X H tu a U. b ft. w 0 g z w u « Oh > < a -? < o Z I b to b a O 6.a 8! i ! CS *rx (Sh I ! ! i <H ! rH [| || I Ml! ! I i ! tn Tr* tn » com rvlH voth fN»n I I en x- y vo © -*■ oo vo vo tN m © (N rf m vo vo i-i iS ! O ill I SuQg OV Ov II , Ov S3 una II hS 2 i UQS Ov hS J3 w 43 ° 'whf> § H K U m S. O in Ji 1 £i i 4>srt I ^ +3 E rt ) u s 5 rt I <0 £3 S rt j co I tj is a I-tISkQ |'^wPe|"5«Pe uSKGQ>Su(3b>KG(5b>SQQb> ^ Os Os y yi y REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 21 Table 5.—Percentage of Municipal Revenues by Major Sources for the Years 1931, 1941, 1951, 1956, and 1960 Year Municipal Taxation Provincial Grants Utilities Licences, Fines, and Other Revenue Total For Schools Total Revenue Cities (Except Vancouver) 1931 1941 1951 1956 29.10 21.80 22.50 19.20 23.89 24.62 24.60 24.70 22.09 24.82 30.30 29.20 31.85 27.56 33.04 25.45 22.01 29.16 69.25 65.60 49.00 54.69 58.70 85.45 79.10 63.20 70.76 69.02 68.60 82.20 60.00 66.53 73.90 57.20 41.65 64.24 34.90 51.57 63.43 7.16 7.10 23.25 15.96 17.60 5.32 8.95 22.95 11.61 14.08 9.82 11.32 27.20 17.57 15.35 23.19 28.20 10.93 34.90 25.45 20.57 3.20 8.55 9.77 8.73 4.90 0.64 1.09 1.01 .09 1.33 2.39 .61 1.67 1.88 3.76 3.19 1.16 20.39 18.75 17.98 20.62 18.80 9.23 11.31 12.76 16.62 16.81 21.58 6.48 11.47 13.51 10.14 17.94 30.15 22.94 26.44 19.79 14.84 100 100 100 100 1960 100 Vancouver 1931 ... 100 1941 1951 1956 - 100 100 100 1960 100 Districts 1931 100 1941 1951 100 100 1956 1960 Towns I960.. 100 100 Villages 1931 1941. 1951 100 100 1956 1960 100 100 Note.—Subsequent to 1951, grants to municipalities were reduced in exchange for greater participation in direct school costs by the Province. AA 22 BRITISH COLUMBIA REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR, REGIONAL PLANNING DIVISION Victoria, B.C., January 23, 1962. /. E. Brown, Esq., Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs. Sir,—The Division continued through the year to expand its community planning services throughout the Province. We gave planning advice to fourteen municipalities beyond the boundaries of the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board and the Capital Region Planning Board. This advice has changed from one where a planning report was presented to Council and the job was finished to where a continuing service is maintained. Now a planning report is prepared, presented to Council, and a follow-up is maintained through visits and correspondence. In this way the report can become a dynamic thing, guiding the orderly growth of the community if the Council chooses to follow the recommendations. COMMUNITY PLANNING AREAS There are now twenty-one community planning areas in operation in unorganized territory throughout the Province. The new areas established in 1961 are:— Chetwynd, formerly Little Prairie, a frontier settlement of eighty people in 1951, has now grown to an active community of about 1,000 people. Chase is a growing community of about 1,000 on the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and Salmon Arm. In addition, the following community planning areas' boundaries were extended:— Community Planning Area Number 2: The boundaries were extended to include the settled unorganized territory in the North Okanagan and including the community of Oyama, of about 500 people. The area now has a joint boundary with Community Planning Area Number 1, so continuous land-use regulations are in effect in a settled valley area over 40 miles long on both sides of Okanagan Lake. Community Planning Area Number 4 embraces the communities of Albert Head, Colwood, Colwood Corner, Glen Lake, Happy Valley, Langford, and Metchosin, with a total population of over 11,000 people. The former Community Planning Areas 4 and 16 are now incorporated into this larger area. Community Planning Area Number 14 now is an area embracing the settled part of the east coastal plain of Vancouver Island from north of Campbell River to south of Courtenay. In all, the service given to people in unorganized territory has increased by more than 40 per cent in the past year. The demand for community planning areas remains high, and we feel the best way to handle the greatest number of requests quickly is to create large areas under the supervision of a full-time inspector rather than create a proliferation of small areas with part-time inspectors. Highway Planning Area Number 1 was established in co-operation with the Department of Highways, with the purpose of protecting the capacity of the Trans- Canada Highway around the Village of Golden. REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 AA 23 We are receiving requests from communities in unorganized territory to develop house number systems, and we are developing a simple system which can give necessary locational information. Advisory Planning Commissions for Community Planning Areas 3, 8, and 17 were appointed, making a total of six areas with these groups. They continue to give good service to their communities. It is interesting to note that there have been requests from some of the commissions for long-range land-use plans for their areas. The staff planners in the Division will start on these plans soon so that rezoning applications can be referred to an agreed pattern of future land use rather than examining each application as an isolated case. The total value of construction for the year was $12,192,000, the highest reported by the Division. This follows the trend of increased construction in the Province and the increased coverage of our services in unorganized territory. The breakdown by areas is shown in the following table:— Place Dwelling Units Built, 1961 Dwelling Units Built since Areas Established Total Value of Construction, 1961 Community Planning Area Number 1 (around Kelowna) Community Planning Area Number 2 (around Vernon)— Community Planning Area Number 3 (View Royal) Community Planning Area Number 4 (Thetis, near Victoria).. Community Planning Area Number 5 (North Saanich).. Community Planning Area Number 6 (around Nanaimo) Community Planning Area Number 7 (around Prince George) _ Community Planning Area Number 8 (around Kamloops) Community Planning Area Number 9 (around Quesnel).. Community Planning Area Number 10 (Connaught Heights, D.L. 172, next to New Westminster) Community Planning Area Number 11 (around Alberni) Community Planning Area Number 12 (around Dawson Creek) Community Planning Area Number 13 (Woodhaven, near loco) Community Planning Area Number 14 (North of Campbell River to South of Courtenay) Community Planning Area Number 15 (around Fort St. John) Community Planning Area Number 16 (industrial reserve near Victoria) 117 53 20 8 35 143 91 65 11 2 2 1 6 35 Community Planning Area Number 17 (Fort Nelson) Community Planning Area Number 18 (West Bench, near Penticton) Community Planning Area Number 19 (Hudson Hope) 13 1,167 415 320 19 486 1,622 722 744 178 70 6 218 19 106 32 Community Planning Area Number 20 (Crooked River, 60 miles north of Prince George) Community Planning Area Number 21 (Chetwynd).. Community Planning Area Number 22 (Chase) Others _ 3 62 $1,839,548 665,305 273,801 88,518 565,444 4,415,920 1,252,002 1,088,372 195,080 12,133 25,000 25,960 7,590 96,470 393,516 5,000 878,184 6,000 61,986 296,492 Totals.. 605 6,197 $12,192,321 Total value of construction to date, $77,072,230. The ratio of owner-built construction to contractor-built construction continues to be about 4:1, and the most common size of houses continues to be around 1,000 square feet. Don South, M.T.P.I.C, Director, Regional Planning Division. Printed by A. Sutton, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in right of the Province of British Columbia. 1962 1,060-262-7795
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DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS REPORT for the YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31 1961 British Columbia. Legislative Assembly [1962]
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Title | DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS REPORT for the YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31 1961 |
Alternate Title | REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS, 1961 |
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British Columbia. Legislative Assembly |
Publisher | Victoria, BC : Government Printer |
Date Issued | [1962] |
Genre |
Legislative proceedings |
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FileFormat | application/pdf |
Language | English |
Identifier | J110.L5 S7 1962_V02_18_AA1_AA23 |
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Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia |
Source | Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia |
Date Available | 2018-01-22 |
Provider | Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library |
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CatalogueRecord | http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1198198 |
DOI | 10.14288/1.0363260 |
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